By now, many people have seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD or Blu-ray. Others have also seen part one or two or both of the trilogy that is to make up The Hobbit. Even though these movies surpassed all we could want in excellent, fantasy films, they still fall short of what your imagination will create when reading the book. The Hobbit is one of my all-time favorite books. I have many favorites, but this puts a shadow on most of those. The level of thought that J.R.R. Tolkien used when creating this world, its characters, its languages, its histories and the current story is amazing. Not only does it make you want to know what happens after, but it also 
generates a feeling to go out and have an adventure. There are many reasons why you should read this fantastic story. Here you will find my top three.
Descriptive Imagination – This phrase is not taken lightly by author, J.R.R. Tolkien. He gives description a whole new meaning with his tale, The Hobbit. Inside the author goes to great lengths to describe every intricate detail of his fantastic world of Middle-Earth. From the type of flower or weed growing on a hill, to the small cleft on the chin of a character, Tolkien leaves no stone unturned when pulling the reader, you, into his world. I was amazed with the development of Middle-Earth and its characters. Each time I opened the book, I didn’t want to put it down. It gave me a fun, imaginative escape from reality into a world filled with hairy-footed hobbits, axe-wielding, bearded dwarves, mystical wizards and of course, the giant, ancient dragon.
Riddles in the Dark – Probably everyone’s favorite chapter in this tale, I found myself thinking, “This is perfect.” Our hero is lost and alone. He has no sense of direction or where all of his companions have gone. In the dark, he meets a creature with a witty, sense of humor, although twisted and warped. Within this chapter we get to see Bilbo play a kind of cat and mouse riddle game with his new adversary, Gollum. They make a deal to have a riddle contest where if the hobbit wins he gets shown the way out. If he loses, he gets eaten. With the stakes this high, you will avoid all distractions in the real world with each anticipatory page.
Unusual Hero – If you think about it most legendary figures are generated using a similar, distinct pattern. Tall, handsome, tough guy. A knight who is the greatest swordsman ever known. An elf who surpasses all legends with a bow and arrow. A rogue drifter with an elegant scar and dashing tale to tell of it. With The Hobbit, Tolkien decides to forego that pattern and cut his own path, opening up a new gateway for hero creation. Instead, he goes the distance to make the most unusual and unexpected hero of all: Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit. He decides at the start, instead of the norm, why not a little guy, smaller even than a dwarf? From this point, it seems like he tries very hard to make the character be the most Un-Hero like person possible. He’s small, a little overweight. He likes his many meals a day and many breaks a day. He lives in a small village with many other “respectable” people. Tolkien describes them as such because they are the sort of people who never have any adventures or do anything unexpected. Instead, he removes Bilbo from his little, comfortable world and throws him in with goblins, dwarves, trolls, shape-shifters and majestic eagles. As his world is turned upside down, the author paints you a magnificent picture of him transforming from Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End to Bilbo Baggins; Sting-Wielder, Barrel-Rider, Riddle-Maker and lastly Warrior of the Battle of Five Armies.
Those are my top 3 of many, many reasons to read The Hobbit right NOW. Have you read The Hobbit? What are your favorite things about it? Leave me a comment & share.
Keeping it the Realest! I’m J.C. Hooker!
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